It only takes a little looking around the web (even among professional web developers) to find the words “This site best viewed by…” emblazoned somewhere for all to see (as if it were something to be proud of.) A quick Google search shows several hundred million results. This particularly abhorrent practice is a major pet peeve of mine. It means that someone was too lazy to do their job properly and probably got paid for it anyway. That’s just wrong.

There’s also the implication that any site visitor not using the specific browser, browser version, or screen resolution listed as “acceptable” by this particular wannabe webmaster (or better yet, “webfailure”) just deserves whatever garbage comes out on their screens. You’d think that no one else had ever heard the story of The Emperor’s New Clothes.

I keep trying to imagine what day to day life would be like if this practice were adopted by any other industry. Can you imagine a television station that advertised the best brand of television on which to watch their broadcast and was unconcerned by the fact that their signal was blurry or unwatchable on any other brand? Can you imagine a sign outside your local grocery store that said, “This parking lot best used by Toyota Camrys, 1995 or later, 2-door, not 4-door.” Tell me you wouldn’t want to stick some massive, old RV across 14 of those parking spaces and dare anyone to say a word.

People, the time has come to end this practice once and for all! There have been efforts and all-out campaigns to do this before, but they’ve had very little success. I have a plan that I think could be pretty effective. I call it my “Many Happy Returns Plan.” It goes like this:

Everyone starts contacting the real owners of these sites and telling them to get their money back. It’s clear that the person they paid to do this was either too incompetent to do it properly or too lazy to finish the job. They should get their money back to pay someone else who knows what the heck they’re doing. It’s only fair. I think that a few well-publicized lawsuits would end this particular trend in laziness.

It really comes down to this, the only time that you should see the words “This site best viewed by…” on a website is if they’re followed by the words “…anyone in any browser they prefer.” If you don’t know how to do this, ask, search the web, learn, find out. Don’t just stick some piece of garbage site up and charge a client for it. In the immortal words of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, “Make it so.”

PHP is a server side scripting language that allows you to create some of the most beautifully dynamic and interactive websites out there, and if you can use it, you can go straight to the top when it comes to getting web design work. However, getting your foot in the door isn’t simply a matter of knowing how to do the work; not only do you need to know PHP inside and out, you are going to need to prove to potential clients and employers that you have the knowledge as well! The truth of the matter is that when you are looking to get hired for web design work, you are not always dealing with people who will recognize your experience or your knowledge; this is where having PHP certification can help.

In the first place, what does PHP certification consist of? In many cases, when you are looking at getting certified, you are going to need to know both PHP and SQL (primarily MySQL – which is a standard for accessing database systems). These are the two subjects that you need to be aware of and that you need to be comfortable with, and you will find that these two subjects give you the foundation of a good web development expertise. When you are looking to prove to the people in charge that you are capable of doing the work that they want, PHP certification will show that you are proficient in both of these topics.

If you are looking to get started with PHP certification, you will find that the major provider of recognized PHP certification is going to be Zend. Zend certification will test your knowledge of PHP, and even better, it is going to test you with regard to real world job functions. For the positions where certification in PHP is required, Zend certification is going to be the one that allows you to stand out and to strut your stuff. It is important to remember that having the certification itself will allow you to get your foot in the door. The Zend certification for PHP is a little pricey (around $125 at the last look), but it is important to remember that you should see this as an investment in your future employability. Just think how much more salary you can get out of your present or future employer.

When you are thinking about getting PHP certified, remember that you are likely going to need to be competent with both PHP and SQL (MySQL). Also remember that the exam is practical, and that some preparation is essential. Taking the exams unprepared will be a problem for anyone, even if they are very comfortable with these topics, and this is where training materials and practice exams can come in. Consider what your options are and what you can do to get the results that you are after.

Achieving a PHP certificate can be something that makes a huge difference to the way that you are moving forward and the shape that your career in PHP development takes. If you want to get ahead and get yourself PHP certified, then make sure you check out the resources at this PHP certification info site before you rush into it. This site will let you explore some of the other benefits of PHP certification and give you some of the resources you’ll need also.

Before you even begin to contemplate monetizing a website, you have to determine what the website is for and how you would like it to be used. It is at this point that you will need to begin proper web design. You have to design the website to meet your demands because if you fail to do so, there will be no difference between your site and anyone else’s.

Website development and website creation is a crucial part of any top-quality website. All too often, someone gets it in their mind that they want a website and then throw together whatever they can to make it. Unfortunately only one of two things will happen when spontaneous choices like this are made. The first thing is that in your rush you choose to make use of an open source content managements system and then select any old template or skin which thousands of other websites make use of. The second is that you may take the time to develop a website from scratch but mimic someone else’s layout. In the end, while the website could have some potential as long as you put forth the effort to make it a great website. Sometimes it just makes better sense to take the time to plan out your website every step of the way and continue to pay attention to the details along the way.

Any online business should be developed just like any brick and mortar establishment. You have to take the time to properly plan out its design, development and set goals to achieve in this development. You have to plan ahead for when the site is finally launched and what your plans are to generate traffic and keep the visitors coming. Most of all though, you will need to find out what possible obstacles you may face and what will be necessary to overcome these obstacles. Just as in any other type of business, if you fail to properly plan it out you will end up creating a failure.

For many people, this planning stage plays a crucial role in the web development and website creation for any site whether it is a community, a simple HTML spread or anything else possible in today’s internet age. Plan ahead and make sure that you do everything that is necessary to ensure the success of your online business. Make sure that you put plenty of time and effort into the developmental stages of the website itself. When you pay attention to even the finest of details, you will find that your efforts will pay off in the end by allowing you to have a greater chance of developing a highly successful website and online business.